


A balancing act

by bethonie (Formula_Tea)



Series: Tumblr Prompts [1]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-07 22:29:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3185591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Formula_Tea/pseuds/bethonie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anonymous asked: Fanfic prompt: Toro Rosso unicycle olympics</p><p>Remember when I said the horse fic was the weirdest thing I’d ever written? Well, this has arrived:</p>
            </blockquote>





	A balancing act

“What do you mean “initiation”?” Carlos says, looking suspiciously between his new team mate and his team principle.

Max looked down at the floor, slightly embarrassed. He was going to have to admit what he’d done. It wasn’t a _bad_ thing exactly, but he knew his friends back at school would be laughing at him for it.

“Initiation,” Tost said. “All the teams do it.”

The idea behind it was simple. Balance, concentration, willing to make a fool of yourself for your career, all things they looked for in F1 drivers.

“If you don’t pass the test, you cannot be on the team,” Tost warned. They’d already been through three boys, resulting in three scuffed knees and a sprained wrist. They just didn’t _want_ it enough.

Carlos looked back to his younger – god, that was weird – team mate.

“You did this?”

“Yeah,” Max admitted.

Carlos wasn’t sure if that was encouraging or not.

“Do I get any time to practice?” he asked. He was going to have to do it.

“A week.”

“A _week_ ,” he spluttered. “I have to learn in a week. Nobody can do that.”

“Max did,” Tost pointed out. “And Daniil before him, and Jean-Eric, and Daniel, and-.”

“Ok,” Carlos said. He sighed and looked again at the unicycle. He really didn’t have a choice.

It had been easier practicing, without anybody watching. As soon as somebody came out to see what he was up to, he was immediately on the floor. Not that he hadn’t spent a lot of time on the floor when he was alone.

God, this was ridiculous.

Carlos placed one hand on the fence, glancing over again and again at Max and Tost watching him. Why Max had to be here, he didn’t know. To give him tips?

Carefully, Carlos positioned the pedals of the unicycle like YouTube had told him and, preying this went right just this once, mounted the cycle.

He lasted five seconds before leaning too far to one side and ending up on the floor.

“Try again,” Tost said. He’d already passed the ‘willing to look like an idiot’ part.

Frustrated, Carlos tried again. To the fence. Position the pedals. Go.

The second attempt lasted just as long as the first, and Tost gave the same reply. _Try again_. The third attempt, however, Carlos lasted what felt like ages, but turned out to be a little over a minute.

He fell into the fence he had been trying to stay close to with a clatter. The three short journeys had taken him a little way down the path from where Max and Tost were judging him, and Max stood with his back to them, preparing the unicycle again and waiting for the _Try again_ from Tost.

It didn’t come.

“Alright,” Tost said after a couple of moments’ silence.

“Alright?”

“That’ll do,” Tost said. “No point hurting yourself over it.”

He came over, Max in tow, and picked up the unicycle, brushing some of the dust from the seat where it had fallen.

He didn’t say anything for a while, and Carlos wasn’t sure if he should ask or…

“Did I pass?” he asked, eventually.

“What?” Tost said, turning around with the unicycle in hand. “Oh, yeah… yeah I suppose?”

Carlos stared after him as he went to take the cycle back inside. This wasn’t real. This was like something from a dream. It _couldn’t_ be real.

“I’m going to be an F1 driver,” he said, quietly.

Max patted him on the back. He’d been just as confused when he’d passed the test.

“It’s not going to get any weirder,” Carlos said. “Right?”

“Well…”


End file.
